What is it like to receive the Eucharist in space?

A conversation with NASA astronaut and Catholic convert Mike Hopkins.

Image:: Catherine Singleton.

National Catholic Register, Kathleen Naab, 5 March 2017

Getting to live in space is a challenge and an honor only a very few people will ever enjoy (at least in our generation). Astronaut Mike Hopkins is one of those selected few. He spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013. And though he was thrilled when he was chosen for a space mission, there was one Person he didn’t want to leave behind: Jesus in the Eucharist.

Hopkins had been received into the Church less than a year before his launch. After a long wait, he was finally able to receive Our Lord at each Mass. Facing the prospect of being off the planet for half a year, he decided he had to find out if Jesus could travel with him. It turns out he could — and he did.

The Register spoke with Hopkins about his desire to have the Eucharist in space, how it worked out practically, and what led to his devotion to the Real Presence.

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